February 15th, 2010
My mom always said it’s best to wait and get what you want. Even if buying something else sooner would make you feel better today. And I’m keeping that advice in mind right now. Back in 2007, on somewhat of a whim, I purchased a Line 6 Variax 300 electric guitar. I ordered the guitar from a mail-order vendor, as there are no Variax dealers in my area. Normally, I wouldn’t acquire a guitar in this fashion. But I was intrigued by the Variax’s guitar-modeling electronics, and I really wanted to try one out. Overall, I liked the guitar. I was impressed by the electronics. But over time, I grew tired of playing the instrument. I just wasn’t really happy with the playability of the neck and fretboard. They reminded me of cheap guitars that I played years ago. (Which makes sense, as the 300 was meant to be the entry-level Variax.) I tried replacing the Variax neck with a Telecaster neck but it didn’t really work. And by the time I came to accept that reality, I had already sold the Telecaster body from whence the neck was taken. (It should be noted that I really liked that Telecaster. It was kinda dumb, what I did. But, that’s what guitar-induced mania does to a man. At least, that’s what I tell myself to cope with that dumb decision.) I eventually sold the neck as well, as I had no real reason to keep it. I went back to playing the Variax 300 in its stock form. But still, I was never really happy with it.
Over the last few years, music has fallen away from the center of my life. There’s no single reason why. But if you’ve followed any of my social-media endeavors, you can probably draw some of your own conclusions. Regardless, I’ve been feeling that magnet-like pull again towards music, specifically guitar playing, and it feels good. Problem is, I don’t really own a guitar right now that I simply enjoy playing. And I’d like to change that. My dream would be to transplant the electronics of my Variax 300 into the body of a Telecaster. Some research has revealed that I’m not the only one who feels this way. In fact, there’s even a group on the Line 6 support site specifically dedicated to Variax transplants. All of this has given me some hope that, at the very least, a procedure like this could be done. I’m just not sure I could do it myself. This guy’s actually done it, and as you can see, it’s not as simple as it sounds:
I don’t really own any power tools, and there’s the small issue of me being legally blind. These conditions make me apprehensive of taking on this type of job. I contacted a local guitar tech (whom I met because he bought my discarded Telecaster neck) about helping out with a Variax-to-Telecaster transplant. His reception of the idea was lukewarm at best. Realizing that the ultimate dream of a transplant may not be possible, I turned to other options. And here’s where I’m at:
1.) Purchase a replacement neck for my Variax 300. The upside to this plan is that, a neck transplant is a fairly straight-forward procedure, and doesn’t involve any complex routing or serious power tools. The problem is, if I don’t like the new neck, I’ll be out almost $300.00, as these necks aren’t returnable. That’s an expensive gamble in my book.
2.) Move up to a Variax 600. The 600 is the current “bottom end” of the Variax line, as the 300 has been phased out. What intrigues me about the 600 is that it comes with a maple neck/fretboard, and I prefer maple to rosewood. I’ve read some favorable reviews of the 600, and if I found this instrument to be to my liking, I wouldn’t have to go through a transplant, as the 600 has the same electronics as the 300. Of course, 600′s aren’t exactly inexpensive. But I could sell my 300 and put that money towards the cost of a new 600. (Musician’s Friend even has a couple used/discounted 600′s available.) Problem here is (once again), there are no local shops that carry Variax guitars. Unlike with the 300, I’d like to actually get my hands on a 600 and try it out. The closest shop that might even possibly carry Variax guitars is three hours away (one way!) by car. I haven’t checked with them yet to see if they have any 600′s. But if they do, Jen and I may wind up taking a road trip. Otherwise, I could just find a mail-order vendor with a good return policy, and place an order. That way, if I don’t like the 600, I could just send it back.
My plan as it stands now is to try option two first. It could end up costing me more money overall, but in terms of labor, it’s the easiest way to go. And I guess if I find that I really don’t like the 600, I’ll consider the neck replacement. I can’t finish this entry without recognizing how ridiculous all of this thinking may seem. I’ve written about my perfectionist/OCD tendencies before. And certainly, some of that comes into play here. I have absolutely considered scrapping all of this Variax business and going back to playing a Telecaster. But I’d always have that nagging feeling in the back of my mind; “Is this what I really want?” The only way to know for sure is to go through this Variax trip and see where it ends up. Even if I can’t find a solution that works, I’ll at least know I gave it an honest try. After all, there’s plenty of Telecasters out there. But unlike the Variax, none of them can sound like a dozen different guitars with a simple twist of a knob.
And the Variax also sounds like a pretty good Telecaster, too!
February 15th, 2010 at 2:35 am
I’m not sure why we haven’t see more electronics (beyond EQ and tuners) integrated into both electric and acoustic guitars. Digital effects are in the new amps — why not guitars?
I would suggest you sell your 300 and apply the funds toward your 600 slush fund.
In the meantime, keep an eye out for user reviews of the 600 (as well as any competing models). This initial “hands-on” review is quite positive:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=98912
If you buy it and find you don’t like it, ship it back to Musicians Friend. At most, you’ll be out the shipping cost.
February 15th, 2010 at 4:10 am
Shawn,
I understand your problem a bit more. Sometime difficult to discuss a complex issue in less than 140 chars!
In your position I’d recommend finding another luthier. There’s one near me, who I’ve used for set up and maintenance work on my Telecaster and Variax who does Variax transplants into anything you’d like (within reason). He’s in Manchester UK so probably not an option for you. I’d recommend talking to Steve Benford www.benfordguitars.com). He’s a luthier from Milwaukee and he’s just finished building a custom guitar for me. He really knows his stuff and won’t try to sell you something you don’t need.
If you’re happy with the Variax body then perhaps a custom-built Telecaster type neck might be the answer.
Ken’s solution is also worth a try – relatively risk free and low cost.
The cheapest option of course is just to “suck it up” and get used to the different neck! I bought an old Hohner from eBay and immediately hated the neck. I love the sound of it though and persevered with playing it. It is now one of my favourite guitars to play.
February 15th, 2010 at 4:11 am
Forgot to mention, the luthier in Manchester is http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/
February 15th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
[...] Yesterday, I wrote about my plans for hunting down a new guitar. And I’m sticking with that plan. However, it’s dawned on me that there’s some other things in my world that require the time, attention and (most importantly) money that will eventually go into this quest. So the new guitar will have to wait. In the meantime, there are some home-improvement projects that are in serious need of attention. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to fix most of them myself. That means I’ll have to hire someone to do the work, and that’ll cost money. It’s discouraging, ’cause I’d like to get the guitar thing sorted out as quickly as possible. But in the end, the guitar is essentially a “frivolous” expense. The other stuff has to come first. I’ve already made one phone call to try and get someone out here to do some of the repairs. There are several things that need to be done, and it’s unlikely one person will be able to do them all. But, it’s a start. I also find that prioritizing in this fashion helps me to get these necessary things done first. I have a problem with procrastination, and I tend to put things off. Especially if they’re not particularly exciting. And to me, new guitar >> home repairs. I also wanted to mention something about my weight-loss efforts, as I haven’t posted any updates on that in awhile. I weighed myself today, and was discouraged to find that I’m still hovering around the same weight I’ve been since last October. I made a decision at the beginning of the month to cut out regular soda. This was a big decision, as I really like the stuff. And I stuck with this decree up until yesterday. In my defense, I had woken up with a horrible headache, and the soda was for medicinal purposes. I’m back on the wagon today, and thus far, haven’t had a drop of the stuff. And even though the scale didn’t show any weight loss, I feel lighter. That’s gotta count for something. I’m hoping that, if I can stick with the soda-free lifestyle for awhile (forever?) I’ll eventually get back to losing weight. Funny thing is, I don’t find myself missing the stuff all that much. I think I’ve turned a corner in this whole health-improvement trip. I’m starting to get more out of actually taking care of myself than I used to get from doing things like drinking soda. I hope it sticks. (No pun intended.) [...]
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:18 pm
[...] should just burn down this place and collect the insurance money. If it were only so easy…) Last week, I mentioned my latest guitar obsession. In connection with that, I wrote about prioritizing things [...]
May 2nd, 2010 at 1:08 am
[...] back, I wrote about some of the problems I was having with my Line 6 Variax guitar. I concluded, at the time, that I was going to stick with [...]